I’m Good at My Job, But My Job’s Not That Good

Someone made this comment during a meeting and I was struck by its honesty. It didn’t take much further thought to wonder how many employees feel this way. If they have that kind of clarity, how long will they stay before moving on to something they perceive will be better?

Managers need to think about the current fit between a person and the position. Jobs evolve as needs change. People’s skills and experience can change the actual job or the perception of the job. Too often we forget that we need to review jobs as their substance changes.

In this example, the person had grown beyond the original role, but the position itself hadn’t changed. Indeed, he is good at the job, but he will get bored if the job doesn’t grow with him.

Consider periodically asking your employees about their jobs outside the realm of a specific task or performance review. Here are some conversation starters:

+ What challenges you most?
+ What is most stimulating?
+ What, if anything, is boring?
+ How do you see your position evolving?
+ What frustrates you?

You’ll glean a lot from these informal conversations. You’ll learn about strengths and weaknesses in the positions themselves and you’ll discover new perceptions from your team members.

These insights will help you improve your organization by tweaking or even restructuring certain positions. Change doesn’t have to be dramatic; it can evolve as your people and the needs of the positions evolve.